At Christmas World floral innovation is not in the product

During the weeks of Advent, homes worldwide are full of Christmas decorations. Do these decorations influence the use of flowers and plant during this period or other holidays? This was the question we asked Pascal Koeleman and Rudi Tuinman. Each year at Christmasworld, the leading holiday trade fair in Frankfurt, their company 2Dezign showcases the union of Christmas decor and flowers and plants.

“Christmas is by far the most commercial holiday of the year. Whether people are Christian or not, worldwide they celebrate the end of the year. These several weeks account for a disproportionate amount of revenue for the calendar year. This is true in food, home decor and flowers and plants.”

“Flowers and plants are easy tools to use in creating a distinctive atmosphere with their endless colours and shapes. There is little excitement in celebrating Christmas with only ornaments and a tree topper. But by combining the decorative hardware with the software of Christmas trees, flowers and plants, comes to life. You can make any design, including one that’s over the top.”

“Christmas is the time to add value. Thirty five years ago my father had some branches of holly, some greens, a candle and some red and white mushrooms. With these he created a Christmas arrangement that would bring serious money. The combination of natural and non-natural materials is strong. So use both in your arrangements .

Women use lipstick, makeup and hairspray to accentuate their beauty. So why not emphasize the beauty of Roses or Hyacinths by embellishing them with glitter at Christmas time? The small succulent with a light spray of glitter will fetch more money than an ordinary one.

Innovation isn’t in the product. A Gerbera will always be a Gerbera. Innovation (especially at Christmas time) is what you add to a Gerbera. Gerberas are colourful to begin with, but when you add glitter to them they radiate Christmas. And never forget: millions around the world celebrate Christmas but every region has its distinct taste. What you can’t sell in Italy might be popular in Sweden or Canada. So come up with something! Stand out and attract people!

If you add value to your flowers and plants, this will benefit your clients, but most of all it will benefit your pocketbook. When adding value, you need to be a shrewd  buyer and a skilled seller. If you’re good at that and are creative, you could even beat Lidl and Walmart because of the emotion you add to your product.”

“At Christmasworld and Floradecora (January 26-30 at Messe Frankfurt, Germany) we show the power of combining hardware and software. With a huge display of flowers and plants at Christmasworld and a special flower fair, we show both existing (retailers, florists, garden centres) and new sectors (event planners, furniture shops) the endless possibilities of flowers and plants for every holiday.”